I have a 2015 Nissan Leaf and I recently moved to an area where I don't know where the charging stations are. I need to find out if there's an app or website where I can see available chargers near my house and whether most of them work well.
The apps they mention are fine, but watch out for one important thing: a lot of public chargers are outdated on all the platforms, so even if the app tells you there's one available 2km away, when you get there it's just as likely to be broken or out of service! What I'd do is start by checking whether your city council or regional government has an official map of charging points, because those tend to be more up to date than private apps. And then yeah, combine PlugShare with whatever your local operator tells you (a lot of cities have their own local operators) and check the recent reviews to see which one's actually working, not just in theory.
It depends on where you live, but apps like PlugShare, ChargeHub, or your local utility's app will show you nearby chargers with availability and reviews from other users. Best thing is to check a few at once because some spots show up in one app and not another, and the reviews will tell you which ones actually work well in your area.
The best approach is combining several sources because none of them have all the up-to-date info. PlugShare is pretty good and has useful reviews, but I'd add that you should also check your local electricity distributor's app or the charging operators in your area (many cities have specific networks that don't show up in the generic apps). The thing is, some public chargers haven't been maintained in months, so recent reviews from other users will save you from nasty surprises; if you see everyone commenting that it's been broken for years, better not count on that spot.
Does your Leaf need fast (DC) chargers or are you okay with AC ones? Because that really changes the search! The people who already answered have a point about the apps, but honestly what saves me is going straight to your country's power grid operator's website - they usually have a more up-to-date interactive map than PlugShare. Complement that by checking PlugShare to read other users' reviews about which ones actually work, because you're right that a lot of them are out of service or slow. I'd say the most practical thing is to bookmark three or four near your house in whatever app you use, that way you're not dependent on just one.
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